Page 2076 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 2020
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MS BERRY: In the afternoon when the email incident occurred and the Google system was shut down, following that process and as the Education Directorate was getting advice on what other security measures needed to be put in place, the remaining Google users were also suspended. The Education Directorate then started pulling all of the information that was on those emails off those emails so that they could no longer be sent out and distributed to other people on other distribution lists.
MS LEE: Minister, did any students lose any schoolwork as a result of the shutdown on Friday, and what is being done to accommodate those students, especially those in college years?
MS BERRY: I do not believe that there was any school student work lost. However, if that is not the case and I am advised differently, I will come back to the Assembly and let everybody know. But, if it is, teachers are well prepared and are professionals in supporting their students. This year has been the year that has tested them, with all of these challenges in place, but they are ready and well prepared and trained to provide students with the support that they need, should they have had some of their schoolwork lost. But I have not been advised that that is the case.
Schools—hazardous materials
MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development. Minister, in August 2018 asbestos was found in the garden beds at Harrison School, in my electorate of Yerrabi. When the Canberra Liberals asked you to shut the school and to improve the way you communicate with parents and the community, you said we were scaremongering and political point-scoring. You also tried to downplay the severity of this incident by saying it was only bonded asbestos. Minister, why didn’t you learn from this incident when it came to the management of the Yarralumla school contamination?
MS BERRY: The Harrison School issue was the perfect example of political point-scoring and scaremongering from the Canberra Liberals. In the case of Yarralumla, the ACT government and the Education Directorate, along with the school community, have been taking a mature and responsible approach and have managed the issue around lead paint at Yarralumla school with expert advice. As far as that goes, they have acted appropriately.
With regard to political point-scoring and scaremongering, I will leave that within the Canberra Liberals’ area. That is the only thing they seem to come up with, rather than providing an appropriate, professional response based on expert advice and reassuring that community about the safety and comfort of their school.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, why do you try to minimise the concerns of parents and teachers when it comes to the health and safety of our schools?
MS BERRY: I completely reject the premise of that question—that I would minimise the seriousness of these issues. It is why the ACT government’s Education Directorate has hazardous material plans in each of the schools that is affected by things like lead
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